May 01, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 13, 1428

COLOMBO, April 30: Three international airlines have stopped or changed their flights to Sri Lanka following air raids by Tamil Tigers near the capital’s international airport, officials said on Monday.

Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific and Dubai-based Emirates said they had suspended all flights to the island in the wake of Sunday’s pre-dawn air strike by the rebels.

The guerrillas used two light aircrafts to bomb two fuel depots near Colombo.Singapore Airlines said it would only fly into Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) — which shares a runway with the Sri Lankan air force — during daylight hours.

“As a security precaution, with regard to the extenuating circumstances in Colombo, we have rescheduled our flight departure and arrival times,” a Singapore Airlines official told reporters.

“It will be a daytime flight instead of a night flight.” Emirates, which initially decided to operate only daytime services, later decided to stop flying to Colombo altogether.

“Following a review of the situation in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, Emirates’ flights to the city remain suspended until further notice,” the airline said in a statement.

The airline industry was seeking more clarification from Sri Lankan authorities, with several other airlines also reviewing their operations although there were no formal statements from them.

“Safety is the top priority at Cathay Pacific and a careful assessment of the situation will be made before services are resumed,” Cathay said in a statement issued in Hong Kong. It is the second time in recent weeks that Cathay Pacific has suspended flights to Sri Lanka.

Cathay pulled services for a week late last month after Tamil Tigers launched their first air raid.

The airlines’ decisions came despite assurances from Sri Lankan authorities that they were capable of dealing with the air threat from the rebels.

The country’s Media Minister, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, said in a statement that the “government is fully capable of meeting any challenges from the LTTE terrorist outfit.” He also promised “all effective steps will be taken to ensure the safety of the nation and its people.” Passengers flying out of Colombo this week were scrambling for seats, travel agents said, adding that those flying to Singapore were now being offered flights routed through southern India and the Maldives.

Flights to the airport, located just outside the capital, were diverted after rebel aircrafts were spotted in its air space early Sunday.

Flights were disrupted by air defence systems, officials said, adding that one Indian jet was turned back and several departing flights were delayed.

During two of the three bombing raids by the Tamil Tigers, rebel planes crossed one of the main international flight paths to the airport.

In Sunday’s attack, a fuel storage tank owned jointly by the government and the Indian Oil Company was destroyed while two Shell Gas Lanka buildings, the local unit of the Anglo-Dutch giant, also suffered fire damage, officials said.

The Tigers carried out their first-ever air strike last month and followed it last week with an attack on the Palaly military complex in the north of the country.—AFP